Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

much. The sun shines only when she
is In my presence. / find that / must
work more secretly. My great discoy-
cry is suspected. I caught Corean
potter hanging around my house last
week. He asked many questions, but
was sent away without learning any
thing. I must work more carefully
though. must enclose my room more
tightly and proceed with more caution.
(AnOther break here occurs.-B. NJ
Yesterday discovered a man hidden
under some clothes in one corner of the
room while I was at work. l drove
him away with blows. The world must
not know of my discovery. L have
given n life of study to it and shall de-
fend the secret with my life.
| If any one GENES in tomorrow to in
terrupt me shall kill him. Twill keep
my knife by my side while work. No
one shall know what my great discov-
cry is. (This part of the history was
hurriedly written and evidently hastily
composed. At times. my friend hest
tated in his translation and certain
words were almost illegible.-B. NJ
! To-day I finish the great work. I
am now writing the last words OF this
history, which will make the name of
| Tikipoto famous forever, and any one
who comes within these walls will die
l thought I heard a footstep, but
was mistaken. Now will expose the
plate to the air. On its figured face
will paint with my wonderful discovery
the interior of this room. My first
work will immortalize the room where 1
was born. / have covered it with my
paint and now
Thus abruptly ended this remarkable
account. There was not another word
of comment. We allowed the plate to
remain on the furnace until it was as
hot as fire could make it, but single
additional letter did not appear. He
was evidently interrupted for the last
| time, never to continue his strange
story.
"Well," observed Butler, "this is the
most remarkable thing ever read"
'Do you believe it?" l asked.
81 don't know what to say" he
replied thoughtfully. The fact that
this paint he has used was not visible
until it had been heated seems to give
show of reason to the tale. 1t would
not be at all impossible for this chemist,
for that he certainly was, to have
stumbled on a now unknown method
of photography on porcelain by a
means the present scientists know
nothing of whatever. 1t is easily to be
seen, however, whether 1 am right or
mott
''How SOP" 1 asked.
at is evident" continued Butler,
paying no apparent heed to my inquiry.
''that this Japanese potter must have
been interrupted by some accident in
the completion of his task. He had
carefully prepared the plate, the APP
pearance of the letters on the back of
it, under this great heat, shows that be-
yond doubt. All it lacked was the
treatment after the firing, which would
make the characters permanently visi-
BILE. Still the progress he made shows the
possession of great and wonderful
secret. Now what is to prevent our
turning the plate over on the furnace
and seeing what picture is there i'm
printed? Possibly we learn what it
was that interrupted his work so
rudely. That is, provided there be any
picture at all. The chances are that |
under these circumstances the picture |
will disappear the moment the plate |
cools, but perhaps with that for cue |
we may be able to discover this secret |
ourselves"
what shall doa" I inquired breath
lessly.
Here, take this pair of tongs and |
carefully turn the plate while 1 observe
closely the other side of it,
took the tongs in my trembling |
hands and with infinite care grasped |
the rim of the plate between the nip |
pers. Slowly 1 lifted the plate from |
the iron framework of the furnace. |
Their 1 began turning it over, until at |
length 1 had it extended III niid-air, |
several feet from the furnace at a level |
with my face.
For the sake of heaven :" ex-
claimed Butler, his face white with |
emotion. "Just look at thati''
Slowly I brought the plate within
range of my eyeglasses. A moment
later saw the most remarkable sight
of my life-a sight so extraordinary
that my heart almost stopped beating
iS L 1Oohou upon IL. 1HeTo was Il PIC
ture there. in truth. and it did explain
the cause of his interruption. The
gaudy surface of the plate was suffused
by a faint pink tint, under which the
strange and fanciful decorations had
observed when 1 first saw the article
were family visible, as though through
veil of gauze. Upon this was de-
picted as strange scene as mortal man
ever saw. 1t was of small room,
rudely furnished. In one corner stood